Putting Faith in the Damned
by leaymane
Summary: Elena and Jeremy moved on from their old life after their parents died and ended up in Mystic Falls. Only she knows what happened that dreadful night, and she is hesitant to trust anyone. When she meets Stefan and Damon, her fears are heightened. Can she learn to trust them and confront what really happened to her parents?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all! This will be my first story on this website. This is me trying to revive my passion for writing. This is a Vampire Diaries fanfic in Elena's point of view. I am basing this off of seasons 1-4 of the TV show. (No season 5 spoilers please!) I hope you all like it. **

Elena's POV

I didn't want to look back after all that had happened. I couldn't even look back at the house I had stepped out of for the last time. It was the only house my brother Jeremy and I have lived in. I had packed my bags and was ready to leave. I only took what was necessary from the house: my clothes, all of the money I could find, and a photo of my parents, my brother Jeremy and me. Jeremy angrily refused to pack up and leave, so I had to pack for him. It was quite an ordeal to get him out of the house:

"_I am NOT going ANYWHERE Elena. My whole life is here. You can't make me!" said Jeremy. _

"_Is this about Vicki?" I asked, afraid I knew the answer. I knew he would have trouble leaving her. He always had trouble making friends before, and she had been the first girl to show interest in him. The girl had him infatuated although they only knew each other for a couple months and were dating only half that time. That was my brother's ultimate weakness; he put all of his faith and efforts into other people. I couldn't do that. Not anymore._

"_Of course it's about Vicki!" he fired back. "Well part of it. I was finally starting to put my life back together! I had a girl that really loved me and I loved her. Why must you swoop in and take me away from that?"_

_If only you knew, Jer. _

"_Look Elena, I know our parents are dead now," he continued, his tone becoming more solemn. "I can see how much this has upset you." He reached out and grasped my shoulders. "We can face this together. We don't have to run away from it."_

_My eyes started to burn with the threat of tears. His eyes were pleading. That was my brother. He tried to act strong but really needed me. Especially now I needed him too. Jeremy always knew how to reach into the deepest pocket of my emotions. I always worried about him because of his social isolation and hinted battles with depression. Which was why I couldn't leave him here in the chaos that had permanently fractured our strong family backbone. If I stayed, I don't think I could be the strong one. Or the stronger one at least. I couldn't tell him either how our parents died. That would send into a downward spiral that I couldn't help him resurface from. _

_But would the depression become even worse by leaving the only home and people he had ever known? No. I was making the right decision. I was sticking to it._

"_Jer, you know we can't. The murder investigation is just starting, and we would get caught up in it soon enough. Not to mention social services will come looking for us. We must choose our own lives, not have them chosen for us."_

_I could see he agreed on the most part, but his eyes still held disapproval._

"_At least let say bye to Vicki. You know I can't leave until I see her," he pleaded. _

"_No way. You'll be even more reluctant to leave if you did." _

"_I couldn't be any more reluctant than I am now," he said icily before moving away._

Now he had given up his pleading. He had nothing left to offer but silence. He would never stay without me, so he had no choice but to go. I lifted both bulging bags over my shoulder and stood there outside the house until he came outside. I closed my eyes to calm myself in this tense moment of transition in my life. I stood there for probably minutes, but the only comfort I could find was my brother coming with me. He just needed more time than me to let go. I felt a whoosh of air, opened my eyes and saw Jeremy steadily moving down the street, not looking back. I struggled to keep up with him, who stomped on a half of a block ahead.

"Wait Jer!" I called. My shoulders ached from the weight and the tight nylon straps as I rushed after him.

We walked, me running after him as fast as I could for five blocks until we can to the bus station. Seeing Jeremy stop to sulk behind me, I scanned the cities at the ticket window. Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia… Oh yes, Philadelphia sounded perfect; it was a big city where no one would know us, and we probably wouldn't see the same people twice. I purchased two tickets. I turned around, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest when Jeremy wasn't there.

I frantically picked up my bags and started circling the area. A lot of people looked the same because of the dark clothes they were wearing. Was Jeremy wearing dark clothes today? Still none of them looked like him. I continued on to the edge of the station where the crowd of people was thinner. The noise of people died down as I moved on to a secluded area next to a side street. The silence continued on until I heard a soft voice coming from the right. I turned and saw the silhouette of what had to be my brother.

"We will see each other again Vicki," he was saying. "I'll make sure of it. We're not over. I'll call you every–" he cut off as he glanced over and saw me. His expression darkened. "I've got to go Vicki. I'll call you when I'm there. Wherever we're going." He snapped the phone shut.

Oh no, now he thinks I'm controlling his life. I did just buy the tickets without asking what he wanted. Maybe I am controlling, but there is a means to this end. I slowly moved toward him.

"I was thinking about Philly, if you were wondering," I said. "How does Philly sound?"

"Whatever," he replied. "I don't really have a choice in the matter. Let's just get out of here." Feeling like I got punched in the stomach, I handed him a ticket and he walked away again. I followed him to the bus.

He got on before me since I was still carrying the two bags. I handed the driver my ticket, and got on. I spotted Jeremy near the back in a full row. I sighed and chose an empty row near the front. He was avoiding me. Hopefully our relationship would get back to how it was before our parents died. He was all I needed right now. Memories of that horrible night were struggling to come into consciousness. I refused to let them consume me and thought instead about the new life that was right ahead of us in Philadelphia. I could imagine there were good people out there, attending university classes, starting charities for the poor, running small pretzel stands…

My thoughts drifted into emptiness until a jolt woke me up. I looked around and saw the bus was nearly empty at this point. Jeremy, however, moved up to the same row although he wasn't next to me. Night had already befallen on the land, so I could not see much of the surroundings except the road illuminated by the bus's headlights.

"Where are we Jer?" I mumbled, trying to recover from my sleep. "Are we near Philly yet?"

I could see a quick flicker of amusement in his eyes before turning back to the vindictive glare. "We passed Philly hours ago. We are now going through Virginia to the last stop I think."

"And where is that?" I said, panicking.

"Mystic Falls sweetheart," a voice sounded from ahead. It was the driver. "It's a small town in the center of Virginia known for its rich history."

That didn't sound good. I swallowed the rising lump in my throat. I looked out the window and saw the darkness was joined up ahead by a small expanse of street and building lights. The bus slowed down and crossed into the town.

"Welcome to Mystic Falls," the driver said.

**That was the first chapter! Let me know what you thought. Any feedback would be very helpful! I should have the next chapter up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is Chapter 2! Enjoy!**

Jeremy's POV

I looked toward the back of the bus. No one else was on the bus anymore except the driver, Elena and me.

I started to get up, but Elena remained frozen in her seat. I couldn't read her expression clearly in the dark of night–was it nervousness? Fear?

"Come on Elena," I coaxed her out of her seat. "We have to get off now." You are the one that made us come here.

We stepped out into the cool May night. The bus station was smaller than the one at home . It barely took up a block, while several food shops and offices and a school were scattered up the street. This must be the main road. This sure was a small town. I liked it. Maybe there was a good reason we didn't end up in Philly. Elena, however, was panicking.

"I-I-I wasn't p-prepared f-f-for this," she stuttered. "I knew my way around Philly, so we could have found a place to stay, but we're here in this creepy town in the middle of nowhere and we're gonna be stuck out here all night, and I don't have a good feeling…" She stopped and shivered.

I was still pretty angry at her, but this wasn't the time to totally lose it on her. I've learned that from Vicki. She had to deal with me at my worst, with my rages, tears and feelings of emptiness. I had to do the same for my sister. I went back to the bus, where the driver still was at.

"We are completely at a loss of where to go here," I admitted. "Do you know of anywhere we could go at this hour of the night?"

"You can always try the Inn," said the driver. "It's pretty much the only place for visitors in town, and the town doesn't get many visitors at this time, so you should be good."

I nodded with gratitude, although in the pit of my stomach, I was afraid we didn't have enough money for that. I didn't want to ask Elena right now either. So I grabbed both of the bags she was carrying, and starting walking down the unfamiliar street. Now I guess I was in control.

"Do you know where we are going?" she asked quietly. She kept looking behind her and at every shadow.

"No I don't," I replied, trying to hide my irritation. "What are you looking for anyways?"

"Nothing," she said, jerking her head back forward. "I'm just unfamiliar with the surroundings, especially at night. I'll stop if it bothers you."

I ignored her response, and I noticed she still stole glances backward as we walked along. A lot of the buildings we passed were offices and restaurants. I kept looking ahead to find the place called "The Inn," but I saw nothing of the sort.

"Hey I see something!" Elena exclaimed, pointing to a restaurant that I had passed over. Mystic Grill. Was she insane?

"We are not doing anything until we find a place to stay," I said, trying to keep my cool.

"No look! The sign!" She was right. It said "Mystic Grill," and "The Inn" in small print.

We started to cross the street. Out of the corner of my eye, a shadow flickered by behind us. I whirled around, but no one was there. Elena had seen it too; her eyes had widened and she grabbed my hand.

"Please let's just go inside quickly," she whispered. I wasn't sure if I was overthinking this, but her emotions were all out of whack and it couldn't have been just because of Mom and Dad. As for me, I was a bit disappointed that the person that passed wasn't Vicki. I had hoped desperately that she would follow me here so we could continue our life together. I guess we still have to discuss our plans about that.

Elena's POV

My brother and I stepped inside Mystic Grill, a dimly lit but crowded restaurant. It almost seemed like the whole town was here. I felt dizzy from the suppressive heat of an overcrowded room and the panic of almost seeing my greatest fear outside just moments ago. I looked around the room for empty seats but temporarily decided to sink to the floor. Jeremy went up to the hostess. Thank God he was here to help me through this. Only he didn't know what _this_ was exactly.

"Excuse me, where can I find the owner of the restaurant and inn?" he asked.

"She is not in today. Can I help you with something?" the hostess replied.

"My sister and I were looking for a room for tonight. Could we speak to someone that can help us with that?"

"Well the front desk is closed for the night, but I'm sure one of us can go wake up the caretaker and–"

"No," I interrupted. "We'll manage. We don't want to inconvenience anyone." Jeremy looked over at me like I was crazy. Was I?

"Oh um, if you're sure…" the hostess looked eager to drop the task completely.

"Absolutely, but we'll take a table." The hostess perked up finally doing something she was familiar with. She took out some menus.

"Right this way." Mystic Grill was small and crowded nearly to the maximum capacity. Luckily we got the last available table right in front of the bar. The hostess left the menus on the tables and stole a quick glance at the bar.

"You guys will sure have quite the entertainment tonight," she whispered. "The usual alcohol junkies are just getting warmed up. Mystic Grill wouldn't be the same without the pity parties at the bar." She smiled and walked away.

I couldn't help but curiously look over at the people seated at the bar. I'm sure I would become familiar with everyone in this small town in no time. On one end there were official looking people in business attire, although their hair was frazzled and they were yelling obscenities. There was an older woman flirting with a man that barely looked to be of age. College students took shot after shot, keeping the bartender busy. Then there was a man on the end, completely alone and away from the college kids although they looked to be the same age. He was probably drinking his problems away, like I was running away from my problem…

My mind refocused on my own problems and remembered my brother. Jeremy was sitting there, staring blankly at me, probably waiting for me to finally explain myself. How could I? Where could I start and what would I leave out? I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He abruptly stood up.

"I'm going to go call Vicki. I said I would when I got here. Just order me a Coke." He walked off without another word. I missed my chance to open up and recover the relationship with my brother.

I sighed and tried to think of how to talk to him and together adapt to this new town. I wasn't even sure how I could do that since I didn't even know where we were staying tonight.

"Katherine?"

I looked up to see a young man with a half full glass of alcohol staring at me in awe. I looked past me; the space at the end of the bar was now empty.

**That is the end of chapter 2. Please feel free to give any feedback on what you like/don't like. Also, should I keep doing just Elena and Jeremy POVs or do other characters? In the next chapter I will explore a certain male vampire's first meeting with Elena and a kind stranger taking the Gilberts in. But Elena doesn't trust him for reasons yet unexplained…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter 3. I decided to do other characters' POVs because of your feedback. Hope you enjoy!**

Elena's POV

"Katherine," the young man repeated again. He had short dark brown hair and icy blue eyes like the Arctic Ocean. They were drawn to me in confusion and wonder. I sat there unmoving for a while. Then I realized, he thought I looked like someone else. Probably his girlfriend. I smiled. This would be a fun game that would sure brighten my mood and get to know the townies.

"Yes," I purred, hoping that was the right thing to do. I didn't even know his name though. Oops.

He pulled me into an embrace. I could smell the strong scent of whiskey. Wow, that sure was the right thing to do.

"You came back. Where have you been all these years?" Oh shoot, this was a girlfriend that left him and probably didn't intend to come back.

"You know. I liked to travel. All the great places. London. Paris. Rome. Beijing. Tokyo. LA. Chicago. And eventually I made my way back here to you."

His eyes lit up. "You sure did sweetheart." Wow I sounded legit like this girl I didn't know. I tried to avoid his eyes in case he might see the amusement sparkling in mine. He continued, "And I've been waiting here ever since. You can say it's been a while, but anytime is worth waiting for you."

Wow this guy was smitten. "Don't I know it," I said flipping my hair and turning away to suppress a giggle. "But you're why I decided to come back. You are so worth it."

He smiled a little, but now looked a little nervous. "Have you talked to Stefan yet?"

Stefan? Who was Stefan? "I can honestly say I have not," I replied. I looked around the room. I noticed Jeremy on the far side of the room giving me an impatient stare. Time to wrap this up. "Why, is he here?"

His face fell as he said, "No he's at the house." Wrong thing to say. This Stefan must have caused problems in their relationship. I quickly tried to recover.

"Good cause I came only to see you." He now seemed content and his blue eyes were vibrant with love.

"Buy me a drink," I said, trying to end this game. "You know what I like."

"Only the best for you Katherine," he bowed and turned away. Wow, were men really still that courteous?

Now I had my chance. I silently crept through the crowd to Jeremy. "Let's get out of here," I said, continuing to the door.

"Ok but where will we be going?" he asked rashly.

Oh, I completely forgot about our living situation. As we went outside, I saw a convenience store across the street.

"For now, I saw we pick up some sleeping bags and find a park. Got any better ideas?"

"Well for one the only hotel in town would be nice, but we can't do that," he replied coolly. "I'm surprised you'd want to risk getting in trouble with the law for being at a dark after dusk. Usually that kind of thing is left up to me, right?"

My mood was back to hopeless despair. This new town wasn't helping Jeremy and I get along better so far.

As we walked across the street, I heard someone call from behind. "Hey wait up!"

A man was following us out of Mystic Grill. My instinct was to run. "Come on Jer, let's keep going," I whispered.

We continued but the man persisted. "Wait! I wanted to apologize for my friend trying to pick you up." That got my attention. I turned to the man, a slightly older blonde with a kind face. I guess this guy hadn't noticed that his friend had seemed to know me or that I was playing along.

"Oh that guy? He wasn't bothering me. Really."

"You may think that, but I told Damon not to flirt with younger girls like you." Damon. So that was his name. "That can be dangerous for you." Ok, I didn't need a lecture from a stranger.

"I'm fine. Really."

He noticed our bags. "I don't mean to be intrusive, but what are you doing at the Mystic Grill with those large travel bags?"

I looked over at Jeremy, not sure how to answer to this stranger. The guy put the pieces together before I could say anything.

"You guys aren't...you don't have a place to stay. I would be glad to offer you a place to stay to make up for my friend's misbehavior."

My eyes narrowed. Strangers haven't exactly been favorable in my mind lately. "I couldn't, I don't even know who you are."

"Alaric. Alaric Saltzman. History teacher at Mystic Falls High," he extended a hand. "Also as a teacher, it is my duty to make sure the young adults in this town receive a good education."

He seemed nice enough, but I still didn't like to accept offers from complete strangers. Especially my potential teachers. And what if he was a…I couldn't think about it. Before I could answer, Jeremy cut in.

"We'd be extremely grateful to stay with you. I'm Jeremy Gilbert and this is my sister Elena." He shook Alaric's hand. Alaric waited for me to do the same, but I kept my arms crossed. I looked over at Jeremy, who finally looked less angry. His eyes said,

"Great, my apartment is just a couple blocks away. I apologize in advance for the mess and the lack of space," said Alaric.

Jeremy continued to converse with him, and I followed silently. My brother may trust people easier, but he had no reason not to, unlike me. I wasn't going to sleep a wink tonight.

Damon's POV

I arrived home, likely earlier than usual, although I could never tell time when I was smashed. This time I was eager to finally rub my reunion with my true love in Stefan's face.

"Not bringing the usual bottle of gin home with you tonight?" Stefan said, trying to be smart with me. I ignored him.

"Take a wild guess who I talked at the Grill tonight. No don't take a wild guess. Take a knowledgeable guess about who we both know that would come back to rekindle her love with lovely old me."

His eyes darkened with recognition. "Katherine's back?" he murmured incredulously.

"You betcha. And it only took 150 years. But it happened."

"But why would she come back now?"

"Stop trying to analyze it too much, brother. She loves me. Simple as that. Let that sink into your tortured soul." Man he was so fun to tease.

He started pacing as he usually does when he's in deep thought. Now he was pissing me off.

"I said stop," I snarled and in a mere second pinned him against the wall.

"Are you sure it was her though?" he asked. "You could've seen someone that looked similar to her. You as a drunk are as conscious as a hibernating deer."

"Enough with your woodland creature analogies. I know what I saw." Deep brown eyes like the richest chocolate. Long, silky brown hair cascading down a narrow frame. Skin like the smooth inside of an almond. But her personality was the rough exterior. She was a dominant force, and I couldn't resist her. Stefan had loosened my grip and was pacing again.

"I had an actual conversation with her. It all started with…" I rambled off my mind going blank. Crap. I barely remember a thing except her face. A smirk was starting to form on Stefan's face. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking he won. "Well to sum it all up, she came back after all this time and she came back for me."

"You sure that's not just what you wanted her to say. Your deepest fantasy."

"Or yours brother," I challenged. "You just don't like hearing it from me."

"So where is she now?"

"She'll come. She knows where to find me," I said, unbuttoning my shirt and heading up to my bedroom.

Jeremy's POV

I didn't get what Elena's problem was now. This Alaric guy didn't seem half bad. He is a teacher after all and he offered us a place to stay. Sweet refuge from this strange new place. She did, however, seem much more pleasant with that guy from the bar, and he was hitting on her. Disgusting. I wasn't getting anywhere near that slimeball unless he started groping her. At least she got away before that happened.

I looked over at her. She now looked more solemn than annoyed. Then again, she might be more upset about that guy than she is letting on. Back at home, she never could find a boyfriend that was serious about her. Too many guys toyed with her heart. No matter how wrong she could be on us starting a new life now, I had to protect her.

"Does your friend live with you?" I asked Alaric.

"Oh no, don't worry about him. If you don't want to see him again, I will make sure he won't come by my place."

She looked a bit relieved. This man may just be a right new start.

We approached a modern looking apartment building. Alaric led us to the second floor and let us into his apartment. It was new and cozy although junk was cluttered across the room.

"Again, sorry about the mess," he said apologetically, moving papers and clothing off his couch. "You guys can sleep here. This turns into a pull-out bed. The bathroom is this way," he pointed down the hall. "I'll let you get some sleep now. I'm sure you're exhausted from your travels. I will be gone tomorrow for school, and I will talk to the principal about getting you into class right away. You are in high school, right?"

When Elena, didn't answer, I responded, "Yes, I'm a junior and Elena's a senior."

"Great. I'll leave my phone number on the counter in case you need me. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen." He smiled and left us.

I turned to my sister. "Nice man, don't you think?"

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" she said.

I guess now she's the negative one. She stood there, looking down the hall to where Alaric disappeared.

"Aren't you going to bed?" I asked. I for one, was beyond exhausted. I quickly assembled the bed and totally crashed.

"I will," she said, not moving.

Whatever. Her loss, I thought as I started to lose consciousness.

Bonnie's POV

I watched the new girl and guy leave the Grill. I knew they were new; I pretty much knew everyone in this town. It was likely I would get to know them since that girl was flirting with Damon. If only she knew she was playing with fire. That man – no, that thing – was fatally dangerous. I made sure she and her friend safely got away from him. They were with Mr. Saltzman, the history teacher, so they should be fine. For now.

I watch Damon and Stefan Salvatore all the time to make sure they don't cause harm to those around them. They are vampires and I am a witch. It is my duty to protect the defenseless humans against the demons that lurk in the town.

I made a promise to my Grams to scope the town for suspicious vampire activity and to stop it. That motivation was only intensified by her being murdered by a vampire, whom I have yet to find and kill myself. I have seen merciless killing at the hands of Damon before, but I was too weak at the time to stop him. Now I am stronger and am watching nearly his every move.

I will not let this girl be another victim. No one, especially newcomers to this troubled town should meet their end this way. The best way will be befriending the girl so I can steer her clear from the darkness of the Salvatores.

I follow Damon to his house, making sure he doesn't take any self-indulging detours. He doesn't, which is odd for the bloodthirsty mongrel. Afterward I returned to my house, where I prepared for school tomorrow. I would have to deal with the other brother, Stefan, there. I had a feeling the girl was in high school too. She looked young and fragile. I know she will come across Stefan, if not Damon, sometime. And I will be there.

**And that's it for Chapter 3. Next time Elena will meet some new friends at Mystic Falls High…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is Chapter 4! Please keep following and reviewing! Thanks! (:**

Elena's POV

A day passed, and nothing has happened to us, so maybe this Alaric guy was ok. He gave us a place to stay, and I was thankful for that.

It turns out he was able to get us into school without much personal information. I'm not sure how he did it, but it would be great to start anew at Mystic Falls High. I think I could feel safe there with Alaric. Jeremy seemed to be adjusting well too, despite his forced separation with Vicki. I could still hear him call her a few times a day at least. I hoped he would make new friends. Me too. I needed some people I could trust.

Alaric drove us to school the following day. He had helped us purchase all of our school supplies and other necessities. He even helped us find our classes for the day. I even had Alaric for history later that afternoon. As he got ready to leave for his first class he gave us both awkward pats and said:

"I hope you guys have a great first day. Really, the people in Mystic Falls are friendly. You should have no problem fitting in." I hope so, dude. With an encouraging smile, he left us in an empty hall.

I turned to Jeremy, but he was already walking down the hall.

"You have a good day too," I called after him. He ignored me and pulled out his cell phone. I hoped he wouldn't cut class to talk to Vicki. He worried me a lot.

I walked in the opposite direction, until I approached my math class. It had already started and the teacher was lecturing. As I went in, all heads turned to look at me. One guy even squinted. Friendly or not friendly, high school kids were judgmental. The teacher had stopped talking at this point and looked at me irritably.

"And who are you, coming into my class late?"

"Elena Gilbert. I'm new."

"Great. Take a seat."

Damp with perspiration, I made my way to the only available seat, next to the squinty guy. Only now he wasn't squinting at me but was deep in thought, with eyebrows scrunched up and dark eyes looking off into nothing.

I turned my head to the front of the room so I wouldn't meet his gaze. Yet I couldn't concentrate when I felt his eyes bore into me. He made me feel uncomfortable, and I couldn't wait to leave this class.

When it was over, I tried to make a run for it, but at the door, he suddenly appeared before me.

I couldn't escape his scrutinizing stare now.

"Elena Gilbert," he said. "That's your real name."

Oh no, why would my name capture his interest? I immediately thought the worst.

"Yes," I said, hoping to get away with minimal conversation.

But he continued, "And you just moved here?"

I hesitated before answering, "Last night, why?"

He was silent and his eyes darkened into a state that I couldn't interpret. I clenched my sweaty palms as this stranger blocked my way out of the door but wouldn't speak. Then he uttered one word:

"Katherine?"

What? Again? Was this whole town crazy over this Katherine girl, or was this just a coincidence. This guy seemed confused though, unlike the certainty the stranger had at the bar last night. I didn't think I could toy with this one.

"No, I said I was Elena Gilbert." I was kind of relieved that he had no clue about my real origin or what happened to my family. I couldn't silence that conscious fear even in this new town. I guess I had to get used to a whole other world of drama.

He started to back away, opening up the doorway again. "Well it was nice meeting you Elena Gilbert," he said and rushed off. I ran out into the hallway too, but he was already lost in the crowd of students. There was, however, a girl near the door staring at me. Great, more staring. I didn't want to deal with anyone else, so I started walking off. But the girl stopped me.

"Wait! You're new in town, aren't you?" she called, catching up to my pace. I swear, the people in this town were just so nosy.

"Yes. Now if you'll excuse me…"

She still persisted. "I'm Bonnie. Bonnie Bennett. And you are?"

"Elena Gilbert. You're not here to insist that I am some girl named Katherine, are you?"

Her eyes narrowed in what seemed to be concentration, but moments later, her stare was blank. "No. I don't know any Katherine. I just…wanted to introduce myself is all…" she looked down at her shoes.

Creepy or not, this girl seemed very lonely. She kind of reminded me of myself at my old school for the past couple of months. Maybe she was less like these staring freaks I've seen so far and more like me. It was worth a shot. "What's your schedule like?" I said. "Maybe we have a class together."

She instantly perked up. I found we had history together in the afternoon. "If you'd want to meet up for lunch, I can show you around. Get used to the social scene and all. It's really not that complicated and the school is pretty small."

I agreed, but I wondered: where did she fit into this school. And in the back of my mind, what about Katherine?

Stefan's POV

I had to find out more about this Elena. I did see her again later in the day in history class. By then, it seems she made a friend. Furthermore it was Bonnie Bennett, who never attempted to make a friend at this school from what I have seen since I returned to Mystic Falls two months ago. I lived here more than a century ago, so I knew there would be strange and suspicious people about and the Bennetts were definitely strange. The Bennetts were witches, but from what I could tell, there was no proof Bonnie was one. I made a note to keep an eye on Bonnie. If she had even the faintest idea about Katherine, who knows what else she knew about. Nonetheless, I couldn't talk to Elena with Bonnie hovering over her and glaring at me with her sharp hazel eyes.

I could, however, pick up on their conversation. It's just one of the perks of being a vampire. As far as I could tell, their conversation didn't entail anything of importance to me. Bonnie mostly talked about the school and Elena listened. I wished Elena would talk more about herself so I could understand her connection to Katherine. I knew about the Gilberts too. They were against all things supernatural, so how could she be connected to Katherine?

After class, I at least caught her eye and gave her a smile, hinting that I wanted to talk again. I couldn't read her expression as she quickly left with Bonnie. I could sure read Bonnie's warning look though.

As soon as the last bell rang, I rushed home as quickly as I could without getting people to notice my speed. I didn't even stop for my usual scouring of the forest for a warm-blooded delicacy.

I found Damon by the fireplace already nursing a glass of bourbon. This was his place for thinking. I rolled my eyes, but I wasn't about to start on the whole alcohol subject.

He didn't even bother to turn around when I entered as usual. But when I said, "It's not Katherine, it's a human girl," he whirled around, looking stubbornly determined.

"How could it have not been here. You know Katherine. She has this aura of control surrounding her. How could some human girl mimic that?"

"You don't know anything about this girl. And her name is Elena by the way. Elena Gilbert."

Damon looked puzzled. "Gilbert? Like the pitchfork-bearing, kill-all-vampires-hunting townsfolk?"

"I don't get it either. How she looks like Katherine and everything."

He instantly turned back to arrogant. "Of course. Katherine is playing one of her little tricks on us again. She's pretending to be a vampire-hating human. But she didn't fool me."

I sighed. Such a naïve guy my brother was. "Why would she have told you it was her the other night if she was trying to hide her identity?"

He was silent and went back to staring at the fire.

"We have another problem," I continued. "Bonnie Bennett is trying to befriend Elena, and it doesn't seem right. She must have some idea of Katherine. Or us."

"Bennett. The witch?"

"We don't know she's a witch. We've never actually seen her so a spell."

"I am so going after her," Damon said, taking his jacket and speeding to the door. But when he opened it, he looked taken aback for a moment. "She's watching us. The witch is watching us. Did you let her follow you home or something?" And with that, he disappeared out the door in a mere second.

Damon's POV

The witch's eyes bugged out as she saw me. She tried to run away, but of course I quickly caught up to her.

"I have plenty of things I should say to you," I angrily stated. "Let's start with: you're following my brother and I don't like it."

She gained some of her confidence back as she looked me square in the eyes. "That's none of your business. I can do whatever I please."

This wouldn't be easy to get information out of her. I didn't think I could compel a witch. Or could I?

"Not as long as I'm around. What do you want with that new girl? Are you trying to teach her some of your witchy tricks? Get her on your side."

"How would you know? Last I saw you with her, you thought she was someone else."

So she was following me too. I was about to seize her by the neck, but I had to turn around to hide the shock on my face from her retort. So Katherine hadn't come back for me. Disappointment hung like heavy lead in my heart. My face was growing hot and I had to get away. But I didn't want the witch to think she outsmarted me.

"So, I thought you had many things you wanted to say," Bonnie urged with scorn.

I had to deal with this witch sometime, but I completely lost my skill of arguing well in light of my humiliating rejection.

"We're not finished, witch," I said, backing away. "Now it will be me watching you." I zipped away before she could respond.

I couldn't go home to face Stefan with his I-told-you-so satisfaction. I ended up in front of the Grill like I usually do. It's just a habit. But for once, I didn't think drinking would do anything. This time, it made me a fool and reject. I took out my cell phone and speed-dialed Alaric. Maybe it was time to talk through Katherine with him. He had no clue about her; usually he talked about himself and I listened no matter how dreadfully dull his life was. He was my best friend, and I owed him an explanation.

He answered after many rings, already knowing what I would say: "Hey buddy, not a good time to meet right now." I heard voices in the background. He lowered his voice. "Listen, I took in some runaway kids, and I'm still trying to get them settled. It may be hard getting used to my cramped apartment."

I rolled my eyes. "Ok Ric, can't you get away from your latest high school kid project long enough to help a friend out? Or I can just stop by real quickly?"

"Are you asking me for a favor Damon?" he chuckled. Then his tone became more serious. "I can't let you come here. It's…the girl. She's the young girl from the Grill you were hitting on the other night."

My stomach became knotted. The Katherine look-alike was staying with Alaric. I was a bit embarrassed just picturing what a loser I was. I probably should explain to her about Katherine and me." I knew it would hurt talking about Katherine, since already thinking about her not returning after all left me empty. Alaric would be there to hear it too. Killing two birds with one stone. Plus I can try to uncover some mysteries of my own…

Alaric interrupted my thoughts. "Hey, you still there? I said. Do. Not. Come. Got it?"

"Whatever you say," I said brightly and headed straight to Alaric's.

**That is the end of Chapter 4! Next, we will see Elena and Damon meet for real. Also, will Bonnie step up her game against the Salvatores? Will Damon and Stefan retaliate? Maybe there will be an update on Jeremy and Vicki. Let me know what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ready for Chapter 5? It's a bit longer than the last ones. I hope that's ok!**

Elena's POV

Jeremy, Alaric and I were laughing over our sad attempt at making fried chicken when a loud knock sounded on the door. I looked over at Alaric. Was he expecting someone? If he was, he didn't look too pleased as he made his way to the door.

He opened the door, and a dark figure stepped across the threshold. As he scanned the room, he caught my eye and held me gaze. His eyes were icy blue. I nearly choked on my dry, overcooked chicken. It was the Mystic Falls Grill guy! What was his name?

"Why thanks for inviting me in Ric," he said, smiling at Alaric. Or was it a smirk? He approached the kitchen, now looking at me. My heart pounded with every heavy step he took across the wooden floor. He definitely didn't look drunk now. I didn't know what to think or what he wanted from me. I hoped I wouldn't have to play the role of his long lost love again.

But I didn't. "Elena Gilbert," he said with emphasis on my last name. "I don't think we've formally met." I was too stunned to say anything.

"Gilbert," he continued. "What an interesting name. Where did it come from?"

Alaric stepped toward him. "Damon, I thought I told you…" he warned.

"I have no intention of acting the way I did the other night," Damon said, now looking more serious. "And for that, I apologize. I actually came here to explain." Ok, that wasn't necessary at all, but I couldn't help being a little curious.

"Good God, about time!" Alaric exclaimed.

"I know the other night I believed you to be a girl named Katherine. She was…is…I don't know…my thoughts are confusing…my first love. She left a long time ago, and I thought she came back for me. But she didn't. Now I am not sure what she is to me." He looked down.

Alaric jumped in. "Wait, so you knew this girl how many years…" he trailed off and looked knowingly at Damon. "And you hadn't told me a thing about her?"

"I didn't think it was necessary, sharing all of my past with you." Damon glanced up at me. "Now I have to. You took me by surprise," he said, directing his comments now to me.

I took the opportunity to shoot a question at him. "Why are you so interested in my name?"

I couldn't read his stare. "I have my reasons. I've been in this town long enough."

What does that mean? What do I have to do with this town? Never mind. I just hoped he didn't know about my situation back home. The fear in the pit of my stomach was growing; his eyes could be looking through me if I didn't know better. I looked over at Jeremy. He looked about ready to back me up against this prying stranger.

Damon might have seen my uneasiness building, because he quickly answered: "I am not going to hurt you. Like I said, I am sorry for harassing you the other night."

That wasn't the problem, since that little game was the only instance I could avert the shadow of my parents' death since it happened. That had nothing to do with me. This abnormal interest in my family did. "I don't want to talk about my family."

Alaric looked uncomfortable. He hadn't been able to get an answer out of me as to why we ran away and where was my family.

Damon's eyes softened. "I can understand that." He didn't clarify, but continued onto a new subject. "So have the people of Mystic Falls been treating you well like my good friend Alaric here?"

"Actually the people here have been pretty strange. Just my first day, people have been looking at me strangely. Kind of like you. Maybe it has something to do with Katherine."

He tensed up. "Who else knows about Katherine? Did anyone mention her to you?"

"Just this one guy. He seemed perplexed that I wasn't Katherine. He ran away before I could even catch his name."

His shoulders relaxed a bit. "Ah. You must have met my brother, Stefan."

That nervous guy? Related to Damon, who seemed to hold confidence in his words and body language, even with me and my brother that looked ready to sock him. "So you have a brother about my age?"

"You can say that." His eyes flickered to Alaric. Then back to me. "And you're sure no one else said anything about Katherine?"

He still seemed desperate to know any information about this girl. I couldn't mention much that would help. "I only mentioned it to one girl. She didn't know her though."

He was listening intently. "Who?" he asked sharply.

"This girl named Bonnie–"

"Bennett," he finished. It's almost like he knew what I was going to say before I said it. "Be careful with her."

"What right have you to tell me what to do?" I challenged.

He looked taken aback. "I…was just giving some advice. I hoped today we could get off to a better start. But believe me when I say, you can't trust anyone in this town on first instinct."

"You're right about that," I said, eyes locked on his.

He pretended to look insulted. "You don't mean me, do you? Alaric, she can trust me, right? When I'm not under the influence of course." He placed a hand on his heart. Alaric looked amused. "I promise in all moments of sobriety I will speak only the truth even if the truth hurts," Damon said.

I felt a jolt of amusement in my chest, but uncertainty still lingered. "So if I told you to reveal what you know about my parents?" I started.

"I know nothing about your parents. Unless you already consider this guy here one." Alaric flushed with embarrassment. "I am merely a Mystic Falls history buff. This guy here taught me well."

I couldn't help but releasing a giggle. One minute this guy was scaring the pants off of me, then he was acting like a complete idiot. Seeing that I was letting my guard down a bit, his smile widened.

Jeremy, however, broke the happy moment. "I can't believe this," he said, not even looking at me as he stormed off.

Jeremy's POV

Locking the bathroom door, I angrily dialed Vicki's number and tried to calm my heavy breathing. How could Elena let that sleazeball guy from the bar reel her in while I was forcibly separated for someone who was good for me?

"Hello? Hello?" Vicki was saying.

"Hey Vic sorry, my mind is racing right now." I repeated my feelings.

She sighed. "Listen, Jeremy. I can't say I know what she is thinking, but it's probably for the best that you're not here right now." This didn't sound much like her. She seemed withdrawn.

"What? How can you say that? I want to be with you."

"I know. Your old home, it really isn't the best place to be."

"Vickie? Did something happen? Are you ok?"

Her voice was withdrawn and I could already tell she wouldn't tell me anything. First Elena, now Vickie. The people I thought I could count on most.

"I'm fine now," she said quietly. I could hear a voice in the background. It could have been addressing her, but she didn't respond. But someone was listening. I had to talk to her alone.

"Can we meet somewhere? I'll run away. It's no problem for me."

I heard the voice again. It was a deep voice that was too low to comprehend any words over the phone line.

"I'll try. I'll call you when I can." Before I could respond, the line went dead.

I tried to gather my thoughts. Was she with another guy? Why would she lead me on all of this time to believe we would make it? I sank to the cold linoleum floor. My thoughts began to conflict with each other. Did I have to return home? I couldn't tell if Vickie wanted me there or not. But then there was Elena. My first reaction with her conversing with an older guy was anger. Back at home, she let so many guys seduce her then drop her without a trace of regret. I was angry at myself for not doing anything then. And now. I had to gather more courage to stop this from happening to her again. I may not be sure about my situation, but I knew Elena was sometimes too vulnerable to turn away a guy that boosted her self-confidence. The vulnerability only intensified when the guy left and her confidence plummeted. It was a continuous cycle. But this was supposed to be a fresh start. Elena deserved one, although I didn't want one myself. I guess we both couldn't get what we want from being here.

I knew what I had to do. First I had to apologize to Elena for storming off and nearly blowing up in front of her. I had to at least pretend to act rational. Maybe she would be rational too. We would be on good terms. Then I would spend more time with her. Consider it quality sibling time. More like me keeping her away from predatory males. I could start with this guy lurking in Alaric's apartment.

I slowly opened the door, looking out to see what he and my sister were now doing. He was gone though. Just Elena remained in the room. I let out my breath and walked over to her.

"Where'd they go?" I asked, hopefully inconspicuously.

"Damon went home. Alaric walked him out I guess." She looked at me carefully. "But don't worry about that. What is going on with you? What was that back there?"

I will worry about that. That man is no good. I couldn't say that outright. I couldn't let Elena suspect a thing unless he tried something lousy on her. I relied, "I forgot to call Vickie."

"You seemed angry." She raised an eyebrow.

"Angry at myself. For forgetting."

"You sure it's not at me? For the whole moving situation. It doesn't seem like you're adjusting well."

"Me? Not adjusting? Of course I am. The classes are neat. I was even thinking about looking for a job. To take up some free time and earn some money," I tried to sound convincing.

"We will need some money," Elena added, agreeing. "We have to give Alaric something for taking us in."

We chatted some more about possible jobs and school. Good. Avoiding the subject of this Damon guy and even Vicki was best for both of us. Elena and I had to stick together if we were going to make it in this town.

Bonnie's POV

I waited for Elena on the steps of the school as I have been doing the past couple of days. I thought it was funny how she and her brother got out before Mr. Saltzman they went in separate directions as if they've never even glanced at each other. She told me about her living situation and how awkward it was. She also mentioned that it was hard to trust him completely. I couldn't get her to elaborate on that without seeming pushy. I was curious, but I didn't want to step over any lines. She seemed like a nice enough girl.

Today, her brother followed her rather than splitting in a different direction without a word. He walked beside Elena looking far more comfortable than her. I noticed they had similar dark hair and mysterious brown eyes, but their similarities stopped there. He was kind of cute, with a warm smile while Elena was more reserved.

"You must be Bonnie," he said, smiling. "I'm Elena's brother Jeremy."

"Uh yeah I am," I said quietly. Elena actually talks about me with her brother. I wonder if she thinks I'm weird. Then he would think I'm weird…not that it mattered. What was I thinking? I searched my brain for something else to say, but I couldn't. My hands were slightly shaking like whenever I got nervous.

"I'm glad there's someone nice here that can show Elena around," he continued.

"I could show you around too if you want." There I said something. This time it just slipped out before I could consider if he would even want to.

"That would be great," he responded. "I'm actually looking around town for a job. You would know better places to look than me."

"No problem."

Elena looked at me pointedly. "We should get to class right?"

Jeremy nodded. "Sure you're right. See you at lunch?"

He was having lunch with us? That was strange, yet my heart leaped with excitement. What was wrong with me?

When he was gone, Elena whispered to me, "He's starting to actually communicate with people. That's not like him." She paused and considered the thought. "I mean I'm not upset that we're getting along. It's just all of a sudden."

It reminded me of myself, clinging to her side when she got a whiff of vampire. Jeremy must be doing it for other reasons, I told myself. Neither he nor Elena should know my secret or the darkness that casts a shadow over the town. It is unbeknown to most and should stay that way. I could help Elena and her brother without either knowing. I decided to seize the moment and subtly ask a question.

"When did he start acting differently?"

"Last night." That was when Damon Salvatore visited her. But she wouldn't elaborate any further. I held back a sigh and hoped I could dig something out later.

After a few days, people weren't treating her like the strange new girl anymore. She seemed less anxious every day. I was happy for her; dealing with being strange in this town was not enjoyable.

I tried to bring up why Damon Salvatore was visiting Mr. Saltzman's a few more times. Casually of course. Was did he want with her? Was he still bent up about the Katherine ordeal? How pathetic vampires can be, hypnotizing and being hypnotized so easily into falling in love.

"So have you managed to expand your horizons past me?" I said jokingly.

She smiled, but her face quickly returned to an unreadable expression.

"I met some people in town. I'm just not sure yet if they're worth being friends with." Yes, good girl! She locked eyes with me. "As long as I have one good friend, I don't need friends for the sake of having friends.

She trusted me. I left a dramatic pause in between before saying, "Oh you mean me?"

"Of course. You let me know who to watch out for." Her eyes twinkled. "Now come to class."

I stood there, pondering the innocence of what she just said. I caught the eye of Stefan Salvatore across the hall. I took off after Elena.

Stefan's POV

So my brother recruited me to look over the "witch" Bonnie Bennett at school. I told him I would have no part in it beyond that. Although, I didn't tell him that I would rip his throat out if he tried to do the same to her. Not that I would care about her particularly. Especially if she _was _a witch. I just didn't want to disrupt the peace. I actually enjoyed living in it when the supernatural creatures weren't creating bloodbaths and invoking panic within the townspeople.

Damon told me to attack her if she showed any "witchy powers." I told him I would just to get him off my back. But I knew what I had to do. I could certainly keep Bonnie away from Elena and the secret of Katherine, my brother and me.

All day I itched to carry out my plan, but Bonnie wouldn't leave Elena's side. I wasn't going to give away any more information. Damon and I already did that enough with the Katherine slip-up. Even at lunch, Elena joined Bonnie along with a guy. Maybe her brother? They looked similar. The guy distracted Bonnie. She really seemed to be into him, and this would have been the perfect time to strike if only Elena wasn't there. So I waited some more.

After school, I followed them out into the parking lot. I crossed my fingers that Elena wouldn't go with Bonnie. To my surprise, the guy from lunch got in the car with Bonnie and Elena waved and walked away. I wondered where Elena was going, but I had no time to follow her. Bonnie was already pulling out of the lot.

I cautiously followed them after another car. I noticed her pull into the gas station. I parked on the far side behind the pumps while she went to a spot near the store. The guy got out. This was my chance. Without wasting a second, I approached her car slowly. She must have seen me coming out of the car's rearview mirror, because she got out and faced me.

I planned out what I would say earlier and have been repeating it in my head. As I approached her, I focused my eyes on her pupils and tried to link her mind with mine. But that connection didn't happen. Before I could push my mind harder, a high pitched screech struck my head. It didn't stop. The sound, like a chorus of dying animals, bounced off my throbbing temple and drove through my head to the most vulnerable part of my brain. My vision became skewed and I saw Bonnie towering over me before everything went black.

**That's the end for now! I hope my plot twist will tempt you to read more. So what do you think of Bonnie's defensive? Jeremy picking Elena's needs over Vicki? Will that continue? Next time, you'll find out what becomes of Stefan and Jeremy/Bonnie. Of course, Elena will get a surprise of her own…Stay tuned! (:**


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